Featured Research

A new paper confirms that observational assessment tools, often called checklists, used to assess risk factors such as wrist extension and motion repetition, can be valid tools in identifying work-related risk factors for musculoskeletal injuries.

Share This

A new paper by Thomas J. Albin, PE, CPE, of High Plains Engineering Services in Minneapolis, Minnesota, confirms that observational assessment tools, often called checklists, used to assess risk factors such as wrist extension and motion repetition, can be valid tools in identifying work-related risk factors for musculoskeletal injuries. Published in Work: A Journal of Prevention, Assessment, and Rehabilitation, Albin presents a comprehensive, multi-step yet simple approach for improving the use and effectiveness of checklists.

Related Articles

Previous scholarship regarding the reliability and validity of checklists is limited and sometimes contradictory. Some critics suggest that checklists may overestimate the presence of risk factors and others have questioned their reliability. In this paper, Albin presents a well-founded approach that an ergonomics practitioner can use to dynamically measure the reliability and validity of checklists that he or she uses in order to be sure that they are effective tools.

Traditionally the reliability of a checklist is based on correlating two ratings of the same job performed by a single evaluator or by assessing the agreement of the ratings given to a job by a group of evaluators. Albin argues that alternate methods of assessing consistency are equally appropriate, for example, the use statistical process control tools such as control charts.

Albin also questions how well un-validated checklists serve as a tool to put resources against an at-risk job. "If you have to persuade a manager to release resources to remediate a high-risk job based on checklist findings, what assurance can you give that you are committing limited resources to the appropriate job or jobs?" Albin said.

Albin recommends a thorough yet concise approach for assessing a checklist's predictive quality. Using the basic information gathered from analyzing jobs with a checklist, the practitioner can construct a 2 x 2 statistical table that serves as the basis for probability calculations, which ultimately yield the probability that at-risk jobs are correctly identified. He also discusses testing the significance of differences between alternate forms of a checklist, fine-tuning checklists, generalizing findings to new situations, and assessing the relative importance of risk factors to the identification of the problem job.

Story Source:

The above story is based on materials provided by IOS Press BV. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.

More From ScienceDaily

More Health & Medicine News

Featured Research

Mar. 3, 2015 — New assays can detect malaria parasites in human blood at very low levels and might be helpful in the campaign to eradicate malaria, reports a new study. An international team led by Ingrid Felger, ... full story

Mar. 3, 2015 — Adults over the age of 30 only catch flu about twice a decade, a new study suggests. So, while it may feel like more, flu-like illness can be caused by many pathogens, making it difficult to assess ... full story

Mar. 3, 2015 — No significant change in home habits of smokers have been observed in the aftermath of a ban on smoking in public spaces, researchers report. Greater inspiration to kick the habit likely comes from ... full story

Mar. 3, 2015 — Heart function has been associated with the development of dementia and Alzheimer's disease through a new study. Participants with decreased heart function, measured by cardiac index, were two to ... full story

Mar. 3, 2015 — Children of recently separated or divorced families are likelier to drink sugar-sweetened beverages than children in families where the parents are married, putting them at higher risk for obesity ... full story

Mar. 3, 2015 — Gastric bypass and similar stomach-shrinking surgeries are a popular option for obese patients looking to lose weight or treat type 2 diabetes. While the surgeries have been linked to a decreased ... full story

Mar. 3, 2015 — Most people consume more salt than they need and therefore have a higher risk of heart disease and stroke, which are the two leading causes of death worldwide. But a new study reveals that dietary ... full story

Mar. 3, 2015 — Twice as many children born to mothers who took antibiotics during pregnancy were diagnosed with asthma by age 3 than children born to mothers who didn’t take prenatal antibiotics, a new study has ... full story

Mar. 3, 2015 — Although sedatives are often administered before surgery, a randomized trial finds that among patients undergoing elective surgery under general anesthesia, receiving the sedative lorazepam before ... full story

Featured Videos

Mom Triumphs Over Tragedy, Helps Other Families

AP (Mar. 3, 2015) — After her son, Dax, died from a rare form of leukemia, Julie Locke decided to give back to the doctors at St. Jude Children&apos;s Research Hospital who tried to save his life. She raised $1.6M to help other patients and their families. (March 3)
Video provided by AP

Looted and Leaking, South Sudan's Oil Wells Pose Health Risk

AFP (Mar. 3, 2015) — Thick black puddles and a looted, leaking ruin are all that remain of the Thar Jath oil treatment facility, once a crucial part of South Sudan&apos;s mainstay industry. Duration: 01:13
Video provided by AFP

Woman Convicted of Poisoning Son

AP (Mar. 3, 2015) — A woman who blogged for years about her son&apos;s constant health woes was convicted Monday of poisoning him to death by force-feeding heavy concentrations of sodium through his stomach tube. (March 3)
Video provided by AP

Related Stories

Apr. 14, 2014 — Obesity and musculoskeletal injuries are huge health problems in America, including the military. In the civilian setting these injuries are certainly very costly. But in the military, injuries can ... full story

Jan. 18, 2013 — When hospital operating room staff follow a written safety checklist to respond to a medical crisis during surgery, they are nearly 75 percent less likely to miss a critical clinical ... full story

Dec. 3, 2012 — As U.S. health care goes high tech, spurred by $20 billion in federal stimulus incentives, the widespread adoption of electronic medical records and related digital technologies is predicted to ... full story

Apr. 28, 2010 — All the breast cancer risk assessment tools now available have serious limitations when it comes to discriminating between individuals who will and will not develop breast cancer, according to a new ... full story

ScienceDaily features breaking news and videos about the latest discoveries in health, technology, the environment, and more -- from major news services and leading universities, scientific journals, and research organizations.